Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin released the long-awaited autopsy report of the 2024 elections Thursday following scrutiny over his initial decision to not release it.

In a statement, Martin apologized to fellow Democrats, some of whom had placed immense pressure on him to follow through on his promise to release the report when he was elected chair in early 2025.

His reluctance to release it had prompted renewed questions over whether he could continue leading the party as chair of the DNC.

“In December, I announced we would shelve this report, and I meant what I said at the time – that I didn’t think dwelling on 2024 or looking backwards so late in the game helped us to win elections,” Martin said.

He said he did not want to create a distraction by releasing the report, but acknowledged that in withholding its release “I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. And for that, I sincerely apologize.”

The 192-page report, which Martin said he was not proud of and does not endorse, made little mention of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, and the decisions that may have led the campaign to choose him as a candidate.

But it did reference Minnesota, characterizing the outcome of the 2024 legislative elections as win for Democrats that resulted in a tie in the state House.

“I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it,” Martin said. “I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

The report focused on the notion that Harris was not set up for success to run for president by President Joe Biden’s White House.

“The White House did not position or prepare the Vice President,” the report read. “Had the White House explored and evaluated ways to leverage Kamala Harris earlier in the administration, perhaps it would have improved the President’s standing, and it certainly could have helped prepare her to lead the ticket.”

The report said the Harris-Walz campaign did not effectively litigate now-President Donald Trump’s “negatives.” Rather, it “relied on Trump being unacceptable rather than building an affirmative case for Harris,” the report read.

The report also charged that “massive media investments weren’t matched by equally robust organizing,” which resulted in lower turnout and lower support for the top of the ticket.

The campaign spent more than $1.15 billion. Some of the highest expenditures were on advertising, which accounted for 71% of the campaign’s budget, according to the report. The next highest expenditure was $101.3 million on campaign events.

Party infighting plagued Martin’s first year on the job, prompting him to question in an emotional leaked audio whether he could continue leading the DNC as chair.

Despite his early setbacks, Minnesota Democrats who knew him as state DFL chair had expressed confidence that he could keep doing the job, even after he initially refused to release the report.

“Ken understands that coalitions are built on trust, relationships and accountability,” Corey Day, a former DFL executive director, said of Martin before he released the report. “I know he takes the feedback he’s been receiving from partners seriously and he understands it’s become a distraction.”

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